


Saturday in the Park

by turtleeden



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Romance, but i have to take a second to thank you guys for reading my crazy ideas, i didn't even notice until i saw the date when i posted breathe, i would've so loved a subsection in inokashira park like what asakusa had, it's my first anniversary on here oh my god, on a somewhat unrelated note, so i made this fluff to celebrate!, thank you. so much., time flies huh?, we should totally take ann on a boat ride guys, we were ROBBED, yes the title is a song reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 13:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15864267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtleeden/pseuds/turtleeden
Summary: Akira and Ann decide to go on their first official date in Inokashira Park. Seeing as they haven't been on one ever since their time on the ferris wheel in Seaside Park, they are both a little nervous about being around each other as a new couple. Even so... their excitement and happiness overshadows their nerves.





	Saturday in the Park

Akira and Ann’s relationship was still a new thing for both of them to adjust to. 

There’s more of a giddy excitement bubbling inside the both of them that wasn’t there before when they sit in their seats in class. Sometimes Ann would catch herself smiling in the middle of class just because she was more hyper aware of the fact that Akira was sitting behind her, and it made her excited despite the fact that this setup wasn’t new by any means. Sometimes Akira would catch himself slipping into a dreamy daze as he stared at the back of Ann’s head, wanting nothing more than to just simply run his fingers through her long, soft hair. Their lunches were spent amidst shy giggles and faint blushes on their cheeks, with the both of them contemplating in their minds over whether or not they should take the bold leap and hold each other’s hands where someone could actually see them. That thought gets even more bold and risky in their heads whenever Ryuji comes to join them for lunch. And given that both Akira and Ann knew that Ryuji would lose his ever-loving mind and tease them if he saw them holding hands, neither of them dare make a move to do so. But the thought was still there in their minds, strong as ever. 

It wasn’t lost on them that ever since that day on the ferris wheel where they shared their first kiss, they were feeling more giddy and bashful around each other. Being in a relationship was a very, very new thing for the both of them to experience. And even though they were both excited about this new aspect to their lives, they didn’t quite know how to approach the idea. Because of that and their hectic double lives in being the Phantom Thieves, it also wasn’t lost on either of them that they didn’t have the chance to have an actual first date since that day.

Eventually, Akira had enough of it. He had to think of something for them to do together. Anything. It didn’t matter what it was. He just wanted to be with Ann simply for the sake of just being with her.

Then a idea came to him one Saturday while he and Ann sat together during lunch time.

“Ann, let’s go to the park today.” he suggested.

“The park?” Ann repeated, looking at him curiously. “Yeah, sure! It’s been a while since we’ve been there together. Huh… we were… still doing our heart training back then, right? It feels like forever ago.”

“Yeah, but I was thinking of doing something different this time.” Akira said, smiling as he glanced at her curious expression. “...I wanna take you on a boat ride.”

“R-Really…?” Ann asked, a faint blush forming upon her cheeks once she heard that. Then a thought occurred to her once she thought about what he was saying… and Ann couldn’t help but smile at him once she realized it. “Wait a minute… are you asking me out on a date?”

Akira kept his knowing smile as he nods, which only served to make Ann’s smile even brighter. “What do you say…? Wanna go out with me?” he asked.

“Of course I do…! It’s about time you thought of something!” Ann squealed excitedly, immediately rushing to wrap her arms around him as she bounced in her seat. In the heat of her excitement, she suddenly planted a kiss on Akira’s cheek without warning. “I could kiss you right now…!” she chimed with glee.

“You just did.” Akira laughed, his own face becoming a little red from that brief kiss.

“O-Oh, yeah… I kinda did, didn’t I…?” Ann said, giggling nervously as she leans her head against his. She knew that she practically pounced on Akira when he actually asked the question, but she couldn’t help the giddiness in her heart. Even as her giggling eventually stopped, Ann kept the wide smile on her face as she slightly pulled away from him. “I guess I got a little too excited there, huh? I-I mean, we’ve went out many times before...” she said bashfully. “But this is gonna be our first real date since we got together! How could I not be excited?”

“Be as excited as you want.” Akira encouraged, chuckling a little under his breath. Even with her infectious energy influencing him a bit, Akira was already eager for the date himself. After all, wanting to spend more time with her was the whole reason that he asked in the first place. “Meet me at the train station after school. We can go to the park straight from there.”

“Sounds good. I’ll meet you there.” Ann promised, nodding at him. Seeing that lunch time was getting close to being over, she knew that she and Akira had to go back to their homeroom soon. But before they do all of that… she felt like being a little greedy. It’s pretty risky, since students were eventually coming back in the building to get back to classes and some passerbys could see them getting cozy on the bench. ( _And despite everything, people still talk about both Akira and Ann separately as is. The gossipers would have a freaking field day if they knew they were together._ ) Even so… she wanted to do it. With her blush deepening a bit, Ann leans over and snunk another quick kiss on Akira’s cheek. When she saw his face redden a little more as he turned to her, she giggled to herself again.

“Couldn’t resist.” she said coyly, closing an eye at him.

Akira only smiled wryly at her. He doesn’t say anything, but the look on his face said it all in Ann’s mind: _“I’ll get you back later.”_ The two of them then stood up from their bench, and headed back to their homeroom side by side.

When school finally ended for the day, they immediately met up together in the train station.

Akira and Ann took the appropriate transfer lines in order to stop at the one closest to Inokashira Park. Throughout both rides they were bunched in between the afternoon bustle of people, holding each other close so they couldn’t lose each other in the crowd. Finally getting off at their stop was a great relief. One, because it meant that they weren’t being packed in a train like a can of sardines. And two, most importantly.... It means that they could finally start their date as the two of them head towards the entrance to the park.

Akira liked to consider himself an expert on Inokashira Park by now. It was one of the places that he tends to stop by a lot with friends, Ann included. Now, since they were a new couple, he wanted to stop by a familiar spot while doing something completely new that the two of them haven’t done together. He wasn’t going to lie… the mere thought made him excited.

“Hey, Akira?” Ann said suddenly once they entered the park.

“Yeah?”

“...Mind if we hold hands on the way there?” she asked, her cheeks tinting pink as she looked at him a bit bashfully. “I’m not worried about getting lost or anything since we’ve been here a million times… but I… um…”

Akira emited a warm smile as he shook his head, blushing a little himself as he caught on to what Ann was trying to say. “...I don’t mind.” he answered, holding his hand out for her to take. Giddiness radiated from Ann in waves as she enthusiastically took his hand into her own, giving it a light squeeze as they walk towards the direction of the pond. Seizing the opportunity, Akira raised their joined hands up to his level just so he could kiss the back of Ann’s hand. Once he saw her cheeks redden more, his warm smile turned a little coy as he enjoyed his little form of payback.

“Couldn’t resist.” he teased, throwing her words from lunch back at her.

“Pfft. You think you’re cute.” Ann laughed, leaning her shoulder into his in a light shove.

The two of them walk along the path to the pond hand in hand. Usually they would stop around an opening where there was either a bench they could sit it amidst all of this nature, or a good place where they could sit amidst the small wooden fences. The pond could always be seen at a glimpse, but going on the actual path to it makes for a different view even beyond the usual sights of the park. The afternoon sun seemed to make the water shimmer a little, and a few people were already out in the pond with their boats at this time of day. It looked like the perfect setting for a date. When Ann saw the booth to check out the boats in the distance, she excitedly tugged at Akira’s hand as she pointed to it.

“Look, there it is!” she said enthusiastically. “C’mon, I’ll race ya!”

“You sure you wanna do that?” he asked, quirking a brow as he smirked at her confidently. “I’m no Ryuji… but I won’t lose that easily.”

“Hey hey, don’t go counting me out! I’m no slouch either!” Ann reminded, closing an eye at him. “And I can prove it too! It’s decided, we’re totally doing this!”

Ann stopped walking and got into a pseudo-running stance, still holding Akira’s hand as she did so. Akira looked back at her when he felt her stop in her tracks, and he saw that she’s serious about racing to the renting booth. He felt a little sweat coming along, knowing how stubborn Ann can be when she’s made up her mind about something. But then again, there was no harm in doing a fun little race. So… why not indulge in the idea?

“You’re fired up, aren’t you?” he chuckled.

“You bet!” Ann said, nodding as her eyes zeroed in on the renting booth in the distance. When she felt Akira let go of her hand, she turned her head to see him join her in a starting position of his own. Ann’s smile turned into an anticipating grin as her spirit grows a little more competitive, and she got even more fired up. “Okay, you ready? Last one there pays for the fee.”

“Deal.” Akira agreed, nodding in understanding as an idea brews in his mind.

“Okay… On your mark, get set --”

“ -- Go!!”

Akira had a little running start as he sprints off towards the booth, and Ann couldn’t believe it once she realized it. “You cheater! Get back here!!” she huffed, sprinting after him as she heard him laugh. Akira was indeed fast, but Ann was also right in saying that she wasn’t a slouch either. Even with his little headstart, Ann was able to at least catch up enough to trail behind him midway. The experience with the Metaverse was in part helping out with her current speed and reflexes, and it showed even in this fun little race of theirs.

The first to arrive was Akira, of course, thanks to his sudden headstart. When he arrived at their destination, he immediately turned back to face and scoop up Ann in his arms once she drew close enough to him. Since she was already panting from her sprint, being captured in Akira’s arms was very unexpected for Ann. She gasped loudly as she nearly crashed into him and felt her feet leave the ground momentarily as he lifted her up. Ann, despite her surprise, emited a sound of laughter. 

“Put me down, you big cheating jerk!” she exclaimed as she laughed. It was somewhat breathless as she was still catching her breath in the midst of it all, but she still couldn’t help but laugh even when Akira puts her back down. Ann rested her forehead against his chest as she clung to him, waiting until she felt like she could finally breathe easy. “You’re disqualified, you know!” she chided, looking up at Akira.

“I know. Sorry.” Akira said, still chuckling under his breath as he held her. “I guess I got a little too excited.”

“For the race? Or the boats?” Ann asked, eying him a little.

“...For you.” he answered simply.

“O-Oh...” Ann’s cheeks immediately blushed a vivid shade of red once he said that. She was _so_ fighting back the urge to smile up at him. No, no…! She had to stand her ground! She can’t give in to that dangerously growing charm! “Y-You can’t sweet talk your way out of this…!” she huffed, trying hard to resist smiling back at him. Needless to say, it wasn’t working.

“Wasn’t trying to.” he said, shaking his head before he gave her a little squeeze in his arms. His gaze softened up behind his glasses as he looked down at her, and he smiled. “Think I’m lying?”

He wasn’t. She knew that he wasn’t… that was the frustrating part. 

Ann sighed to herself as she shook her head as an answer. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she finally allowed herself to smile back at him. “...You’re unfair, Akira.” she said, finding herself getting lost in the warmth of his gray eyes. The light from the afternoon sun seemed to make his very expression warmer than it already was as he gazed back at her. She could feel his heart beating as she pressed herself against his chest. _Fast._ His heart was going about as fast as hers was going right now. Whether it was from him running in that race, or from her… she didn’t exactly know. But Ann had a feeling that she knew the answer, just from how they were looking at each other at this very moment. “You’re _so_ unfair.”

“Sorry…” Akira said softly. He could feel his hands shaking a little in his nervousness as he held her, seeing that the color of her beautiful eyes currently had a shimmering mix of blue and green in the sunlight. He wanted so much just to kiss her right then and there, his lips parting as he let out a shaky breath… but he pulled away instead in a moment of hesitation. ( _Was it too early to make a move like that? Goddamn it. He couldn’t help but curse at himself for chickening out now._ ) Akira took Ann’s hands into his own as he backed away slowly, leading her to the renting booth. “Let me make it up to you.”

“H-Huh? O-Oh, okay…” Ann stammered. She thought for sure that he was going to… Was it all in her head? God, she can feel her heart beating even more right now. 

Ann kept quiet as Akira approached the stand and paid for renting out one of the boats. Once it was all worked out, they make their way to the dock and chose a rowboat to get on. Akira was the first to take a step onto the boat before holding his hand out to Ann in order to help her get on as well.

“My lady.” he greeted with a smile.

“Ooh, such a gentleman.” she cooed, smiling as she took his hand and was helped onto the boat. Once the two of them were on the boat safely, Akira took up the oars and begins to row out of the docks and into the pond proper.

The calm waters of the pond seemed to shimmer against the afternoon sun, the small waves glittering in warm ripples of light as Akira kept rowing the boat. Eventually he stopped rowing, finding a spot in the water where both he and Ann were surrounded by the sights of another aspect of the park they’ve grown to know well. From here, one would see the various colors of the trees around the pond, and even the different winding paths that seemed to lead towards the pond and beyond. They could hear the clear sounds of a small bunch of ducks waddling in the water nearby, and perhaps they could also hear the faint chirps of crickets if they were quiet enough. The atmosphere of the pond was slow and easy, with the softness of their surroundings bringing about a sense of great ease and warmth. Ann smiled as she took in her surroundings and heaved a pleased sigh.

“It’s so peaceful here…” she sighed dreamily, running her fingers against the water. “No matter how many times I come here, sometimes I can’t believe that we’re still in the same Tokyo. There’s no way you could find a place this peaceful in the middle of Shibuya or the subway.”

“No kidding…” Akira agreed, easing in his seat. “Spending time in a place like this… it’s really calming where you really take it all in. I’m glad I thought of coming back here on a boat.”

“Coming back? Did you come here with someone before, Akira?” Ann asked curiously, canting her head slightly as she glanced at him.

“I have.” Akira answered, nodding simply.

“With who?”

“Yusuke.”

A loud snort escaped from Ann as she tried to stifle her laughter. It was loud and unflattering, but she couldn’t help herself from laughing when she heard that. “Y-Yusuke?” she repeated amidst her giggling. “O-Oh my god… I’d never take Yusuke for a boat person... What were you two doing out here? Trying it out?”

“I was trying to help him get some inspiration for his art, so we came around here one time when he thought of a subject to try and focus on.” Akira explained, giving a very short summary of that particular time with Yusuke. “We rented out a boat and he tried to find what he thought he wanted to work on. His inspiration didn’t go anywhere in the end, but he did feel like he learned a few things during that time.”

“I’ll have to ask him about that sometime when I get the chance.” Ann mused, looking out into the water as her laughter eased up. “When I actually think about it a little more, it does feel like that this is somewhere he would go. I’m not an artist like he is, but I feel like there’s some great energy here that would be great as a painting or even as a photo. Like… a sense of warmth, or something like that. Out here on this boat in the middle of the water and the trees, I can’t help but feel so calm and peaceful inside, you know? I can just… sit back and unwind with the wind in my hair.”

“That’s one way of looking at it.” Akira said, giving a small smile.

“Yeah! It’s just the sort of vibe I get. Maybe that could be a subject of his sometime if he feels like it’s something he’d go for.” Ann smiled as she swayed her body a little in her enjoyment, completely at ease. “What about you, Akira? When we’re out here in the middle of this pond… what are you feeling?”

Akira paused as he looked over at Ann, seeing her curious expression as she leaned in eagerly, awaiting his answer. There were a few things that he currently felt at the moment. Ann had a point in saying their surroundings brought about a sense of warmth and calm, and Akira does indeed feel that inside of him. But in his heart, that was only a small part in what he was feeling at the moment. With all of the beautiful sights of nature all around him, the only thing that held his full attention was Ann herself. And he knew that she was the true source of the warm mess of feelings that he felt within him right now.

He felt his heart beating at a fast pace, a show of his inner nervousness that was still present. He can feel the warmth in his cheeks as he gazed at her, seeing the sunlight hitting her blonde hair so right that she seemed to glow against it in his eyes. And with the eager smile that Ann had on her face right now, to Akira she looked like a warm, bright light. God… he felt like his head was spinning the more he tried to think of what to say as his answer. Though Akira looked calm on the outside… inside he was a mess of giddy emotions, so much so that he almost couldn’t believe what was happening to him.

He was a little warm, a little nervous, a little bashful, and a little relaxed all at once. Some of those things contradict each other, but Akira didn’t bother to think of the lack of logic in how he feels. And even then, all of those feelings swirling in his heart and mind were all swimming within the overarching feeling of happiness inside of him. He’s happy. Being with Ann in this boat and sitting in the middle of this pond in the park… it makes him happy overall. Akira’s expression softened as he gazed at Ann with a warmth to his eyes, and he felt like he found what he wanted to say.

“I feel like I’m in love.” he said.

“...!” Ann felt her cheeks flare up as she blushed a deep shade of red, gasping in her surprise when she heard his answer. She felt herself becoming more and more bashful under his warm gaze, shyly averting her gaze from him as she smiles. “R-Really…?” she asks, nervously twirling the ends of her pigtails as her face flushed red. _‘Come on, heart…! Quit beating so fast…!’_ she scolded herself in her head. When she finally gathered the courage to look Akira in the eye, it took all of her willpower not to look away from him again in her bashfulness.

“G-Geez… Why did you have to say that...” she sighed, shaking her head. “I feel so nervous… My heart’s beating out of my chest, my hands feel sweaty, I feel hot, and I must be super red in the face… You’re so close to me right now, and I’m totally losing my composure here… Ugh, how can you look so calm? Compared to you, I’m a wreck…!”

“...Is that how I look?” Akira asked, looking a little surprised at hearing that. A brief chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head. “Then I must look better than I feel right now.”

“Huh…?” Ann questioned.

“Ann, let me borrow your hand.” he then requested. Ann quirked a brow at his request, wondering what was going on in that head of his. But she obliged, handing her hand out to him. Akira gently took her hand into his own before he placed it against his chest. Ann didn’t know if her face could get any redder right now, but if it can, then she would be completely flushed.

“Wh-Whoa, whoa, whoa! Akira, what -- ?!” she stammered.

“Feel that…?” he asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he rested it against his heart.

“....” Ann’s focus switched from Akira’s face to where her hand was placed: right above where Akira’s heart was beating. She can feel little pulses racing at a fast speed. If she could say it, she thought that it was like before after their race… Once again, she felt that his heart was going just about as fast as hers was going right at this very moment. Akira may seem to look calm all of the time, but at this moment… he’s nervous. Ann can really see that he was as nervous as she was right now. Her expression then calmed from her previous flustered state, softening into a bashful smile as she felt his heartbeat.

“...I feel like it’s been going that fast ever since we got here.” Akira admitted, chuckling under his breath as he blushed a bit himself.

“Could’ve fooled me.” Ann commented, looking up at him once more as she smiled. She lightly clutched the fabric of his shirt as she gazed up at him, still feeling his heart under her clenched fingers. “I’ll be honest… I wanted us to do something together a lot sooner. But then I get all nervous in thinking about what I wanted us to do, and thinking about what you would like… and eventually I just ended up thinking too hard and not doing anything. Here I am feeling lonely over wondering when’s the next time I’ll get to see you again like this… and yet I end up not doing anything about it at all… Sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad… I’ve been doing the same thing.” Akira assured, shaking his head. “I had no idea what to do at all… but I knew that I just wanted to be with you. Ever since the ferris wheel, I was always happy just being around you. In class, at lunch, even sitting next to each other when we’re meeting with the others. Eventually, I was just losing myself in what’s going on… and then I try to think of what we could do together to make up for that. I ended up thinking too hard about it when I had enough… and the simplest solution just smacked me in the face today. Heh… I feel so stupid.”

“Hehe… yeah. I know that feeling.” Ann giggled, nodding at him. “Coming back to the park like this made me feel a little silly for thinking too hard… we don’t have to do anything too different from what we usually do. No matter what we do, we can just...”

“...be together.” Akira finished.

Their eyes met right then, completely focused on each other as they sat on the rowboat. Once again, Akira released a shaky breath as his lips parted slightly. His eyes flicker back and forth from the shimmering shine in Ann’s eyes to the softness of her pink lips, and he could feel his heart beating a little faster over knowing what he wanted to do. Ann could feel it too, with her hand still placed on top of his chest. From her point of view, the afternoon sun seemed to highlight a soft light against Akira’s messy hair and brings about a tender softness in his clear eyes. Once again, she felt herself getting lost in his eyes… and being swept up in the romantic atmosphere around the two of them.

“I… I want to kiss you so badly right now.” he said softly, his voice barely a whisper when he said it. Akira could feel his hand shaking a little as he raised it to caress Ann’s cheek. Slowly, his thumb traced the outline of her bottom lip… and he swallowed. “...May I?”

Though her face was still red, Ann couldn’t help but emit a lighthearted giggle. “It’s cute of you to ask.” she mused sweetly, smiling softly as she kept her eyes on him. “...You may.”

_Yes!_

Akira formed a warm smile as he nodded, and he finally leaned in to go for the kiss he wanted. There was no hesitation in his movements this time as he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers. Sweet… from the softness of her lips to the swelling of emotion in his heart, everything surrounding this kiss just feels so… sweet. Akira fely that sweetness as he held Ann in that simple kiss, and he briefly recalled the feeling he felt from the very first kiss they’ve ever had together on that ferris wheel. It was a mix of being blissful, emotional, and overpowered all at once, and he’s feeling that all over again now.

They finally part, but they don’t drift too far away as they remained close. Ann giggled a little as they gazed at each other, and she finally made the move to wrap her arms around him. “Still amazing…” she praised, lightly chewing at the corner of her lip. “You know… you can be really romantic when you want to be.”

“You think so, huh…?” Akira breathed, still feeling her touch upon his lips.

“Come on… we’re out here in the park on a Saturday afternoon, taking a ride on a boat as we share a kiss in the middle of the pond. If that’s not romantic… then I don’t know what is.” Ann pointed out.

“Heh… When you put it that way, it does sound like that.” Akira said, laughing a little.

“‘Course it does! And it’s really sweet of you…” Ann gushed, daring to lean in even closer. She could feel his short breaths against her lips, and it made her long for him again. “...Your ears are red again.” she pointed out softly, smiling as she poked a little fun at him.

“And you’re red all over.” Akira refuted coyly.

“Whose fault is that?” Ann whispered to him, her smile turning into a playful grin. Akira softly laughed at her once more, and she adjusted her hold on him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders loosely, with her hands and fingers touching against the skin of his neck. When Ann found herself staring into his intense eyes again, she knew that she was a goner. Even with his thick glasses on his face, she just couldn’t tear herself away from the clear deepness of his gray eyes. “...Can we do it again?” she asked innocently. “Please…?”

Akira nodded slowly as he smiled, joy radiating from him in waves. “Kiss me, Ann.” he whispered to her lowly, pulling her closer to him as he wrapped his arms around her. “Kiss me.”

Ann felt like she couldn’t move in fast enough. She was the first to lean in and meet him halfway, closing her eyes as their heartfelt emotions and their happiness collided in another soft kiss. God, this was so addicting… she felt like they could do this all day if they really wanted to. She hears him making a soft gasp amidst their kiss, squeezing her in his arms as their lips made a soft smack before meeting each other again. Her nails graze against the back of his neck as she ran her fingers within his messy curls, completely into the moment. Neither of them cared about who would pass by and see them right now… all of their focus was put solely on each other as they kissed under the afternoon sun.

When Ann finally parted from him, she giggled to herself as she laid her head against Akira’s chest. Her hand clung to the fabric of his shirt in a tight grip as she kept giggling, her face still red as she smiled. “Okay… that’s good. I feel like I’m gonna get dizzy kissing you like that.” she laughed, snuggling her head against him.

“Hey… I was enjoying that.” Akira laughed, giving her a light squeeze in his arms.

“Too bad! I was enjoying that too, you know!” Ann exclaimed, closing an eye at him. “Besides, if I kept going… I know that I’ll never stop.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Akira replied, running his fingers through her soft blonde hair as he smiled. “I feel like I could spend all afternoon like this… just relaxing with you in my arms. The sights are nice… real nice. But at the end of the day… all that matters to me when we’re like this is being with you.”

“Akira…” Ann trailed off, before giving him a warm smile. “...You really are sweet. Cheesy, but sweet.”

“Nothing wrong with being cheesy if it’s the truth.” Akira replied, closing an eye at her.

“I guess you got a point there…” Ann conceded, giggling to herself as she adjusts in her seat. Now completely relaxed, Ann took a moment to boldly lay her head down on Akira’s lap as she stretched the rest of her body across the boat. She sighed in content as she folded her hands on her stomach and bent her knees, smiling up at a blushing Akira who was watching everything that she did. “Mm… now _this_ feels nice.” she mused sweetly.

Akira stiffed a laugh then. “What are you, a cat?” he said.

“Meow?” Ann mewled teasingly, sticking her tongue out at him. Now _that_ made him laugh.

“You look way too comfortable right now.” Akira then sighed, shaking his head. But he smiled down at her nonetheless as he gently stroked her hair. Their current closeness just felt so… rich. It was still a new sensation being so close to her like this… and he’s enjoying every second of it.

“...Should we start heading back?” Ann asked. “We’ve been out here for a while.”

Akira hummed in thought for a moment before he shook his head. “We’ve still got some time out here.” he answered. “I’ll row us back when the time comes, but for now… just kick your feet back and relax, Ann. It’s just you and me.”

“…Okay.” Ann replied, giggling a little as she eased herself more in her seat. 

The two of them then proceed to spend a long time together just gazing at the sights of the pond and talking amongst themselves until it was time to row back to the docks. Ann remained where she was, looking up at Akira as he rowed the boat back. Even when she was laying her head down on his lap, she could still see the waning sun hitting the back of his head just right… making him soften and shine as if he was a soft light above her. ( _How fitting… he really is her light._ ) Ann couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him, and just spent the time watching him as they made their way back. 

Once they’ve reached the dock, Ann sat up from her spot as she and Akira made their way out of the boat and back towards the path of the park entrance. During their walk back, Akira lightly nudged Ann’s arm to grab her attention. Once she turns her head towards him, he smiles as he gestures towards the path ahead of them.

“Rematch?” he asked, referring to the race they had from earlier.

“Nuh-uh. You’re just gonna cheat again.” Ann refused, pouting at him.

“The last time was just so I could mess with you. Not this time.” Akira promised, crossing his heart with his finger. “Thief’s honor.”

“I thought they didn’t have those.” Ann said coyly, closing an eye at him.

“Maybe _they_ don’t. But don’t _we_ have a little bit of honor among fellow Phantom Thieves?” Akira said, before declaring his promise. “On my honor as Leader, I swear I won’t cheat.”

“Whoa, look at you… I guess you’re being serious if you’re being that dramatic over it.” Ann sighed, giggling a little to herself as she shook her head. Despite her teasing, she knew that Akira was normally very honorable… and that he was serious about everything he said. So with that in mind… a determined grin made its way on Ann’s features as she pointed ahead in a show of enthusiasm. “Fine then! Rematch! From here to the exit! We’re gonna do this fair and square. That means no sudden headstarts, mister!”

“Trust me, they’ll be no headstarts. We do this for real.” Akira agreed, nodding.

“Okay then. Then let’s do this!”

They let go of each other, placing their hands on the ground as they got into their starting positions. Ann occasionally looked over at Akira to see if he was going to try anything under her nose, but he looked focused as he looked straight ahead, zeroed in on his goal. Nodding in her approval, Ann turned her head towards the path and narrowed her eyes as she tried to focus.

“You ready?” she asked.

“Ready.” he confirmed.

“Okay… On your mark, get set…!” Ann then paused for a short moment, taking one last look to make sure that Akira wasn’t going to start running without her. He was unmoving, not moving a muscle until Ann gave the signal. Seeing this, she smiled as she brings herself back to focus. If he was being serious, then she felt like she should be serious too. And that thought got her fired up all over again. “...GO!”

Upon that signal, they break out into a sprint and race towards the entrance. Even without a headstart, Akira was still the faster of the two. Still, Ann had a better scope of comparing her speed to his as she ran. She may still be trailing behind him, but throughout the race she actually wasn’t that far behind. She can truly take pride in saying that she was right about not being a slouch when it came to running.

Just like the last time, Akira was the first to arrive at their goal. As he reached the entrance, he turned around to see Ann quickly closing in on him. This time though, Ann was ready for him. With her last burst of energy, she gave one final sprint and charged ahead towards Akira in particular. She threw her arms out and captured him in a tackle hug, wrapping her arms around him as he stumbled on his feet. As he tried to regain his balance and keep himself steady, Akira laughed as he returned the hug in full. Ann joined him in laughter, and soon the air was filled with the two of them laughing and panting as they held each other close.

“Hehe… Guess you win this time.” Ann said, panting a bit as her laughter began to wane.

“Guess so. But you were right… you’ve definitely improved. I’ve gotta be careful not to fall behind.” Akira mused, looking down at Ann as he stood. As he felt that his breathing was beginning to calm down, a coy smile made its way upon Akira’s lips. “So… does the winner get a prize?” he then quipped. He was joking of course, but a part of him wanted to see her reaction if he asked something like that.

“You get to feel good that you didn’t cheat.” Ann said, closing an eye at him.

“...You’re never gonna let that go, are you?” Akira then sighed, shaking his head.

“Nope! At least, not for the rest of the day.” she huffed. Despite her slight indignant tone, Ann was grinning as she spoke. Messing with him like this was, in a way, her own form of payback.

“Guess I kind of deserve that…” Akira conceded, taking her teasing in stride.

“Hmm, but seriously… let me think…” Ann then hummed to herself as she taps a finger to her chin, thinking of what to do as a makeshift prize for a race done for fun. It didn’t take her long to think of something on the spot, though perhaps this particular idea was born from her own wants as well. “Your prize is… one last kiss for the road.” she declared.

“...Really?” Akira inquired, surprised at this. He didn’t think that she was going to think about it seriously.

“Really...” Ann affirmed, nodding as a blush colored her cheeks once again. “That is… if you don’t mind it at all.”

“...I don’t.” he replied, forming a soft smile as he gazed lovingly at her. Was he really allowed to be this lucky? He couldn’t help but think that to himself as he tightened his hold on Ann. Feeling a strong emotion like love towards someone as true as her… Akira definitely counted himself lucky in that regard. “Then I’ll happily claim my prize.” he declared.

“Go ahead.” Ann encouraged, giggling as Akira dipped his head down to meet her lips one more time. As their lips met once more in a soft kiss, they felt that sweetness in their hearts as they held it for a long moment. As they finally part, they smile brightly at each other as they softly giggle to themselves in their happiness. Akira and Ann then finally make their way out of Inokashira Park, happily holding hands as they walk side by side towards the train station.

Not bad for a first date.


End file.
